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plantainicus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, Grief, and Death of parent
watermelleon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If you haven't read this book, read it with as little foresight as possible. Do not read reviews, pass go, sink in unprepared.
If you have read it, read this:
Vague enough spoilers await..
Disclaimer, it's my 4th (. 5?) book by David Mitchell. As a stand alone with no prior knowledge, it is a 5 star read.
If you've read any other David Mitchell novel, it becomes even more special.
This book is a beautifully skilled craftwork jigsaw puzzle, with pieces that snap into place perfectly despite at first being unpredictable. You can start in the centre or form the edges, or from a corner outwards. It does not matter which order you fill them to get the satisfying conclusion that appears.
An odessey through the 60s, this book is your own personal tour through time, it's glitter and it's failures. It's real, but understands naivety, inspiration, hope and other complicated human feelings.
This novel hinges on the story of human potential, who we are and who we will become (or who we could be, given the chance). We follow the band reach stardom and everything in between in the peak of their youth, but we also see revisited characters in their younger selves, and the legacy of others long gone, their periods of potential and hope. This 'glory days' epic reminds you there will be an eventual end to these experiences, but they will never leave who you have become in the way they have changed you.
Bone clocks spoiler - I think back to an older Levon speaking to an older Crispin hersey, both with their own regrets, what they could have done better. At the time, Levon loved his band and forgave them for their youthful incidences. Because of this I expected a fallout, a feud over losing a record deal, a dramatic end, a tour bus that crashed. Instead I was hit with the nature of life - the script doesn't pick and choose favourites, it shoots where it may.
Thoughts and questions that made me existential while reading this book:
A young Crispin Hershey points a finger gun at Dean. And then the writer erases him.
Is the love between luisa and elf really forever? An older elf writes on amongst the stark cliffs of sheep's head.
Speaking of Holly Sykes, it's peculiar that she's a gravesend girl too.
Bolivar is a scary and familiar sight. But what does he want? Is it a call forwards into something new, or someone we have seen before? Who had to die at that point in time to be there?
"I hope somebody made a quality bootleg of this"
How popular were utopia avenue then to be forgotten now? Is it a universe teetering on the edge of ours, or a perfect copy? Is another point being made about what happens to David Mitchell's world when it comes to the end of the timeline?
"it makes you wonder if you've actually been living not in the real world but only a description of it" -
It is only a script after all.
Speaking of the end of the world, only some unknown coincidence in hawaii saved utopia avenue's last record. And a man with impossible technology that almost disappeared from the world in only 50 years.
I wonder if/when the horologists will show us any possibility of moving through time in order to preserve it, and I wonder if any meddling has taken place so far.
Griff Griffin. I guess it wasn't his time to be a Protagonist yet. I wonder about Steve also. An important part of the band, written as "an important piece of the puzzle", or a "heartbeat", you're convinced he's important but you're left wondering how. He never thinks out loud to us. It's curious. Or maybe he's just dyslexic and can't write a chapter.
Why does the cloud atlas sextet sound so familiar to Jasper?
I wonder what sixsmith was doing at this point in time.
"How come the rich own the world when they're so bloody useless?" - dean's transition through social class and what remains. The poetry of ordering a boring sandwich as room service. Class was a point of contention initially for dean/griff and elf, seeing their relationships change was a voyage.
Other things about elf and griff that can be thought and not written. If David Mitchell is Elf, I'm Levon.
If you have read it, read this:
Vague enough spoilers await..
Disclaimer, it's my 4th (. 5?) book by David Mitchell. As a stand alone with no prior knowledge, it is a 5 star read.
If you've read any other David Mitchell novel, it becomes even more special.
This book is a beautifully skilled craftwork jigsaw puzzle, with pieces that snap into place perfectly despite at first being unpredictable. You can start in the centre or form the edges, or from a corner outwards. It does not matter which order you fill them to get the satisfying conclusion that appears.
An odessey through the 60s, this book is your own personal tour through time, it's glitter and it's failures. It's real, but understands naivety, inspiration, hope and other complicated human feelings.
This novel hinges on the story of human potential, who we are and who we will become (or who we could be, given the chance). We follow the band reach stardom and everything in between in the peak of their youth, but we also see revisited characters in their younger selves, and the legacy of others long gone, their periods of potential and hope. This 'glory days' epic reminds you there will be an eventual end to these experiences, but they will never leave who you have become in the way they have changed you.
Bone clocks spoiler -
Thoughts and questions that made me existential while reading this book:
A young Crispin Hershey points a finger gun at Dean. And then the writer erases him.
Is the love between luisa and elf really forever? An older elf writes on amongst the stark cliffs of sheep's head.
Speaking of Holly Sykes, it's peculiar that she's a gravesend girl too.
Bolivar is a scary and familiar sight. But what does he want? Is it a call forwards into something new, or someone we have seen before? Who had to die at that point in time to be there?
"I hope somebody made a quality bootleg of this"
How popular were utopia avenue then to be forgotten now? Is it a universe teetering on the edge of ours, or a perfect copy? Is another point being made about what happens to David Mitchell's world when it comes to the end of the timeline?
"it makes you wonder if you've actually been living not in the real world but only a description of it" -
It is only a script after all.
Speaking of the end of the world, only some unknown coincidence in hawaii saved utopia avenue's last record. And a man with impossible technology that almost disappeared from the world in only 50 years.
I wonder if/when the horologists will show us any possibility of moving through time in order to preserve it, and I wonder if any meddling has taken place so far.
Griff Griffin. I guess it wasn't his time to be a Protagonist yet. I wonder about Steve also. An important part of the band, written as "an important piece of the puzzle", or a "heartbeat", you're convinced he's important but you're left wondering how. He never thinks out loud to us. It's curious. Or maybe he's just dyslexic and can't write a chapter.
Why does the cloud atlas sextet sound so familiar to Jasper?
I wonder what sixsmith was doing at this point in time.
"How come the rich own the world when they're so bloody useless?" - dean's transition through social class and what remains. The poetry of ordering a boring sandwich as room service. Class was a point of contention initially for dean/griff and elf, seeing their relationships change was a voyage.
Other things about elf and griff that can be thought and not written. If David Mitchell is Elf, I'm Levon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and War
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Police brutality, and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and War
joyjoyjoy's review against another edition
5.0
This is a completely self-indulgent 5 star. No, I have no clue what was happening half the time. Yes, the phonetic accents were slightly distracting. Yes, a few too many celebrities were name-dropped. And yes, I cried buckets.
This is just totally my kind of book. Queer characters get to exist unapologetically, and the premise of the book is so exactly my thing that it's ridiculous. I still haven't found a way to process the ending, or what the hell was going on with Jasper, but I will.
Anyway, Elf is my new hero and I want to play psychedelic folk-jazz-rock now.
I would also like to note that this book takes place in the 60s, and as such the language used and viewpoints shown are definitely outdated sometimes. Take heed of the trigger warnings. Specific instances include a couple of mentions of the words "poof"/"queer"/"f*g" etc, some cultural appropriation of Native American imagery, and the use of the historically misogynistic and racist epithet directed against Indigenous women that I don't want to write out (it starts with 's'). The overall tone of the book is quite accepting and positive, but these things do come up. As for the representation of mental illness, I can't give a verdict on that.
This is just totally my kind of book. Queer characters get to exist unapologetically, and the premise of the book is so exactly my thing that it's ridiculous. I still haven't found a way to process the ending, or what the hell was going on with Jasper, but I will.
Anyway, Elf is my new hero and I want to play psychedelic folk-jazz-rock now.
I would also like to note that this book takes place in the 60s, and as such the language used and viewpoints shown are definitely outdated sometimes. Take heed of the trigger warnings. Specific instances include a couple of mentions of the words "poof"/"queer"/"f*g" etc, some cultural appropriation of Native American imagery, and the use of the historically misogynistic and racist epithet directed against Indigenous women that I don't want to write out (it starts with 's'). The overall tone of the book is quite accepting and positive, but these things do come up. As for the representation of mental illness, I can't give a verdict on that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Police brutality, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Cultural appropriation, and War
versacrum's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Drug use, and Grief
Minor: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Rape, and Police brutality